Huddersfield has been a textile manufacturing centre since the thirteenth century, but there has been little to no examination on the dyeing process or memories associated with it. Similarly, there is limited historiography available on how the first synthetic dye, aniline purple in 1856, impacted nineteenth century Huddersfield’s textile manufacture. Furthermore, definitions on ‘natural’ and ‘synthetic’ dyestuffs are not adequate in current historiography, especially as many ‘natural’ dyestuffs can now be recreated synthetically at a chemical level. Using a public exhibition, archival research and interviews explorations into consumer perceptions and preference for dyestuffs have been documented to fill this historiography gap. Major findings from this thesis identify environmental concerns behind dyestuff preference, which is ill informed, as well as Huddersfield being a hub for people associated with the dyeing trades. To promote sustainability in modern textile manufacture, there needs to be recognition of consumer dyestuff knowledge and promotion of small-scale textile manufacturing.